Review #69 - Cinder & Smoke Batch IV
Hailing from The Bard Distillery, this bourbon is a continuation of the original 13 year Cinder & Smoke bourbon bottling, which drew widely positive reviews. We no longer have an age statement, meaning this is likely a bit younger now, but we still have high hopes of some nicely oaked bourbon. Each batch consists of just 3 barrels, selected and blended by founders Kim and Thomas Bard.
The Bard Distillery is located in Graham, Kentucky, and began operations in 2019, meaning we have sourced whisky at this point in their more aged bottles. The establishment is located in an old schoolhouse, and was founded by Kim and Thomas Bard, who had been working in NASCAR - Kim as a driver, and Thomas as an engineer. Along with the Cinder & Smoke bourbon batches, the distillery is also producing a line of Muhlenberg-branded whiskies (several of them flavored), as well as some liqueurs.
Cinder & Smoke Batch IV
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 100 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 50% ABV
Details: Batch IV, bottle 6 of 482; batch made up of 3 barrels
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 3 months; bottles at 90%, 80%, and 50% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Decently punchy and oaky to start, even with some wood smoke and ash puckering the cheeks. Lots of baking notes up front: light caramel, maple syrup, brown sugar, and some spice from anise as well. There are nutty caramel/chocolate covered turtles - actually, on that nutty note, we get a pretty strong roasted peanut at this point, salty peanuts. There's a bit of orange oil or rind in there, and as this is open longer, the oak gets stronger, pushing the balance toward dry as opposed to sweet. Behind all of the baking and spice notes, we have some spirit character, grainy and still a bit young.
Palate: The mouthfeel is medium-thick, with a kick coming from ABV and some oily rich oak - char and some tannins, as well. The sweet notes are stronger on the palate: syrup, wood sugars and creme brulee, vanilla, brown sugar, and pancakes all come to mind. Plenty of cooking and baking spices still linger, like cardamom, soft pepper spice, cinnamon, and a mild nutmeg. That cinnamon transitions toward a cinnamon oatmeal - the grain notes are still here, with corn and a touch of wheat flavor as well, and then we get more dusty salty peanuts once again. On another taste, we get just a hint of dark purple fruit, and the youth from the nose has gone away.
Finish: It's a medium length finish, a little bit of heat lingering, but also some warmth from oak char and baking spices. There's a hint of astringency or tannins, even a prickle of anise or licorice, but the finish grows more subtle; we have some syrupy sweetness, vanilla, white pepper, and smoked paprika. We end with a bit of fresh lumber.
Final Note: This is nice, not entirely polished or mature, but still decently complex and fun to explore. It's quite an oak-forward experience, both from the wood char taste, but also the baking spices, sugars, and dryness that has been contributed. We haven't tried the original 13 year batch, but if this younger spirit is anything to go by, it was probably quite good. Value here isn't the greatest, however - a decent whisky, but coming at a cost close to $100 makes it a bit harder to stomach.
Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.46
